Cleveland Cavaliers Reunite With Defensive Ace In Bold Trade Proposal

Could the Cleveland Cavaliers acquire an old friend in this potential trade?

Apr 19, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Pelicans forward Larry Nance Jr. (22) reacts to making a basket against Sacramento Kings forward Harrison Barnes (40) in the second half during a play-in game of the 2024 NBA playoffs at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers have not made any trades this offseason, essentially opting to run it back with the roster they employed last season.

But there is still time for the Cavaliers do some tweaking.

Joshua Buckhalter of Soaring Down South has proposed a trade between Cleveland and the Atlanta Hawks, where the Cavs would send Dean Wade and Ty Jerome to the Hawks in exchange for big man Larry Nance Jr. and a second-round draft pick.

Of course, Cavaliers fans are very familiar with Nance, who spent three-and-a-half seasons with the club between 2017-18 and 2020-21 and played a prominent role on the Cleveland squad that made it all the way to the NBA Finals in 2018.

Nance's most productive campaign with the Cavs came in 2019-20, when he averaged 10.1 points, 7.3 rebounds and one steal over 26.3 minutes per game while shooting 53.1 percent from the floor.

Most recently, the 31-year-old played for the New Orleans Pelicans, registering 5.7 points, five boards and one steal across 19.9 minutes a night on 57.3 percent shooting last season. He was traded to the Hawks back in July.

Where Nance truly excels is on the defensive end. He doesn't actually offer much in the way of rim protection, but he is very versatile and is capable of guarding multiple positions due to his impressive blend of size and athleticism.

The University of Wyoming product has also demonstrated the ability to shoot the 3-ball, making 34.2 percent of his triples throughout his NBA career.

Nance would serve as a terrific backup big man for a Cavaliers squad that is absolutely in need of some roster depth.